Teeeitoey



(No Model) ILA. THOMPSON.

JOINT PROTEGTOR AND IGNITER FOR FUSES.

Patellted Sept. 16,1884.

, N PETERS. Phulwllthugm Nmnn FFICEe PATENT JOINT-PROTECTOR ANDJGNITERFOR FUSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,250, datedSeptember 16, 1884-.

Y Application filed May 8, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELDRIDGE A. THOMP- sON, of Silver City, county ofOwyhee, and Territory of Idaho, haveinvented an Improvement in Joint-Protector and Igniter for Fuses; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a new and useful protector for the joint of afuse, whether said joint be made by the union of two piecesof fuse orthe union of the fuse with the cap, said protector being also applicableas an jgniter of the fuse.

My invention consists in a peculiarly-prepared water-proof andinflammable cloth, wound around the fuse at a j oint, or tied around theend of thefuse, asI shall hereinafter fully describe. i

The object of my invention is to keep the joint dry, especially thejoint made by the union of the fuse with the cap, and also to I providea ready means for igniting the fuse.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the figure is a perspective viewof a fuse and cap, showing the application of myjoin't protectorandigniter.

A is a piece of fuse, and B the cap 011 one end. 0 is the protectorwound around the cap and fuse, and covering the joint made by theirunion. D is a piece of the same material as G, tied around the fuse nearits end, and having its free ends brought together ready for ignition.These ends may be made of any suitable length to regulate the period oftheir combustion.

The protector and igniter consists of a piece of cloth prepared in thefollowing manner: rosin, mutton-tallow, and beeswax, in the proportions,approximately, of three pounds of .40 rosin, one pound of mutton-tallow, and one pound of beeswax, are taken and melted together. Intothis melted mixture the cloth is dipped until it takes up sufficient tofill its pores and cover its surface with a thin layer of the material.WVhen the cloth dries, it is yet flexible enough to be handled inwinding and tying, and is both water proof and inflammable. It is ofprime importance to renderthe joint between the cap and fuse waterproof.When the hole is tamped with water, it is absolutely necessary to effectthis result to prevent missing the hole, as the failure of the blast isstyled. In any case, where dampness surrounds the fuse, it is essentialto protect the joint. By wrapping my cloth around it, this isefiectually accomplished. It keeps the joint dry by reason of itsimperviousness to water, and it does not hinder combustion in the least.By reason of its inflammable nature, it can be used, as shown by D, forigniting the fuse, a use to which it is adapted with better and cheaperresults than the ordinary candlesnuff.

. V I am aware that the joint between the fuse and cap has beenheretofore made water-proof to a certain extent by the use of soap,grease, tar, or clay applied to it, and I have heard of a waxed ropebeing used for this purpose; but I am not aware that a piece of clothprepared as I describe, has ever been used, and I claim that it is morereadily applied and more effective in its results than those materials Ihave mentioned.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- In combination with a fuse and a cap onits end, as described, forming a joint at its union with the fuse, thewater-proof protector G, wound around the cap and fuse, and covering thejoint, said protector consisting of a piece of cloth prepared by dippingit into a melted mixture of rosin, mutton -tallow, and bees wax,substantially as and for the purpose here in described. a

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ELDRIDGE A. THOMPSON.

WVitnesses:

F.H. LEONARD, I. H. \VIcKERsHAM.

